Author: Erik Wesner

Erik Wesner is the creator of amishamerica.com, and author of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look At Why Amish Businesses Thrive. Erik began visiting Amish communities in 2004 – eventually meeting thousands of Amish families while selling books.

He began writing about the Amish on this website in 2006, and is often cited in national media, including USA Today, The New York Times, and others on a wide range of Amish topics. A native of North Carolina, Erik has visited dozens of Amish communities across the country, and loves spending time with Amish friends and discovering new Amish places.

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Five Amish Killed In Van Wreck – After Truck Runs Stop Sign

Five Amish Killed In Van Wreck – After Truck Runs Stop Sign

Another tragedy involving Amish victims in Michigan – but this time there were no buggies involved. Six people, including five members of an Amish family are confirmed dead after their van they were traveling in was hit by a pickup truck – which ran a stop sign at a rural intersection. This happened in Tuscola County, MI late Tuesday afternoon. More: TUSCOLA COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) – At…

Six-Year-Old Amish Boy Killed By Skid Loader

Six-Year-Old Amish Boy Killed By Skid Loader

Just an awful story out of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. An Amish boy lost his life after being hit by the arm of a skid loader, operated by an Amish teenager. From Lancaster Online: A 6-year-old boy was killed in a Paradise Township farming accident Thursday afternoon, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Troopers said they responded just after 3:30 p.m. to Cherry Hill Road where the…

Inside A Michigan Amish Market Store (17 Photos)

Inside A Michigan Amish Market Store (17 Photos)

Today Jim Halverson takes us inside a market (and variety store) in the Cass City, Michigan Amish community, which he visited this past Saturday. We had a look at this community in Jim’s photo set from last year. It’s a community of around 1,000 people. Once you get over a few hundred Amish residents, there should be a nice variety of businesses in a settlement…

(Alleged) Speeding, Intoxicated Driver Hits Buggy, Leaves 6 Amish Injured – Most Of Them Badly Hurt (Michigan Again)

(Alleged) Speeding, Intoxicated Driver Hits Buggy, Leaves 6 Amish Injured – Most Of Them Badly Hurt (Michigan Again)

Another week passes, and right on schedule, Michigan shows up in the news with another bad Amish buggy crash. It’s apparently another intoxicated driver doing their thing, with the result being six injured Amish people (most of them badly injured), with one needing immediate lifesaving measures. From WZZM: VAN BUREN COUNTY, Michigan — Six people are injured after an SUV crashed into an Amish buggy…

New From Amish Group Third Fret Harmony: “Sing Me A Song About Jesus”

New From Amish Group Third Fret Harmony: “Sing Me A Song About Jesus”

We’ve got the second studio song from Third Fret Harmony, which consists of Rose’s brother and sister, Mike and Marty. We first saw and heard them here last month performing the classic country song “Sing Me Back Home”. In this tune they are back “singing about singing” again – but this time more in the gospel music vein. “Sing Me A Song About Jesus” is…

The Amish Were Fined $118,000 For Refusing Vaccinations In Their Schools. Now They’re Appealing To The Supreme Court

The Amish Were Fined $118,000 For Refusing Vaccinations In Their Schools. Now They’re Appealing To The Supreme Court

Back in March, we looked at the case of three New York Amish schools which were fined a six-figure sum for refusing to comply with state vaccination requirements. In 2019, the three schools were each hit with fines in the tens of thousands of dollars, for a total of $118,000. Just to be clear, these fines concern unvaccinated Amish children attending Amish-owned, Amish-run private schools…

Two Amish Children Airlifted After Crash; Horse Killed (Holmes County, Ohio)

Two Amish Children Airlifted After Crash; Horse Killed (Holmes County, Ohio)

A bad accident happened last night in the Holmes County, Ohio Amish community. Two children were seriously injured and had to be airlifted to hospital after the buggy they were traveling in was rear-ended. More details: SUGARCREEK TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WOIO) – The Ohio State Highway Patrol says an Amish couple and their children were hurt late Wednesday when a car rear-ended their buggy. It happened…

Another Amish Road Death In Michigan. Amish Woman Killed When SUV Rear-Ends Buggy

Another Amish Road Death In Michigan. Amish Woman Killed When SUV Rear-Ends Buggy

The state of Michigan continues to increase their Amish buggy crash death toll. An Amish woman lost her life after the buggy she was in was rear-ended Friday by an SUV in Gladwin County, MI. More: GLADWIN COUNTY, Mich.— An Amish woman is dead after a buggy she was in was hit from behind on Friday afternoon. On August 1 at around 2:30 p.m., deputies…

Amish Teen Found Dead In Pond

Amish Teen Found Dead In Pond

Tragedy has struck in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where a 15-year-old boy was found dead in a pond. This happened yesterday in the southern end of the community, in Fulton Township. Here’s more: LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — First responders, including a drone unit, responded to a pond in Lancaster County to search for a missing teen Sunday. The Robert Fulton Fire Co. responded around 3…

New from Ben & Rose: “Dream Of Me”

New from Ben & Rose: “Dream Of Me”

We heard a 23-second demo version of this song back in June. I thought we’d see the full version released soon after that…but they made us wait 😀 Now Ben and Rose have released the full studio version of “Dream of Me”. Sounds like it was worth the wait. The demo clip showcased a great chorus, and that carries over into the full version of…